The University of Connecticut is in serious discussions to move their men's hockey program to Hockey East, a league home to three of the last four national champions.
According to a Wednesday report on College Hockey News, Hockey East officials are meeting with UConn this week to discuss what the program needs to do to strengthen its case to be the twelfth men's team in the league.
The Huskies, who currently play in the Atlantic Hockey league, have a few strikes against them. Their current arena, Freitas Arena, does not meet the league's size regulations. The program also does not offer hockey scholarships, unlike Hockey East's other member schools.
But a giant plus that UConn has over other programs eager to join Hockey East is that their women's program has played in the league since 2003. Before 2003, the UConn women was a member of the ECAC. The women's team has made the Hockey East post-season five of the last six years, last advancing to the championship game in 2010 (which they lost to Boston University.)
Last fall, Hockey East announced that they would add Notre Dame to their men's ranks beginning in 2013, bringing their field to 11 men's teams. It would leave the league with an odd number of teams, an undesirable number for running a useful playoff system. A few other schools have been rumored to be interested in bringing the league total to 12, including Worcester's College of the Holy Cross.